| Photo: Fotolog |
| Damn, that looks yummy. This is Blond Lebanese, and right now it’s hard to find, even in the Middle East. |
Once again, Egyptians and Israelis are sharing the pain. A hashish shortage in Egypt, where a government crackdown resulted in a dry spell that has driven prices up, has spread to Israel.
The Hebrew daily Maariv has reported the hash prices there have doubled in recent months and good hashish is nowhere to be found, reports Batsheva Sobelman in the Los Angeles Times.
In Israel, too, the shortage is largely attributable to a government crackdown. The establishment of three special police units at Israel’s northern and southern boundaries, as well as at its international airport, have brought a 30 percent increase in major drug busts.
Doctors and medical cannabis suppliers report that more and more legitimate medical marijuana patients, along with the street shortage of weed and hash, is resulting in more confrontations. Recent threats have prompted police to craft security regulations and provide escorts for medical marijuana suppliers.
An estimated 110 tons of marijuana and hashish are smuggled into Israel every year, according to Israel’s Anti-Drug Authority. Most of it comes from neighbors Egypt, Lebanon (Blond Lebanese, anyone?) and Jordan.
According to one reader comment to the Israeli media, the Israeli police are taking credit for the shortage which was largely created by the Egyptian crackdown.
